Time-piece with time-setting adjustment

ABSTRACT

A means for adjusting the time indicated by a clock by moving an actuator to engage the minute hand and turn it. The invention relates to clocks having a second hand which might be damaged by movement of the actuator and accordingly the actuator has a bevelled edge leading to a radial ridge for deflecting the second hand and also the actuator is positioned very close to the second hand post.

United States Patent 1 Barbier TIME-PIECE WITH TIME-SETTING ADJUSTMENTInventor: Pierre Barbier, Paris, France Assignee: Jaeger,Levallois-Perret, France Filed: 'Oct. 29, 1974 Appl. No.: 518,601

Foreign Application Priority Data Oct. 29, 1973 France 73.38474 U.S. Cl58/855; 58/855 Int. Cl. x G04B 27/00 Field of Search 58/855, 63, 73, 126D References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 10/1972 Dinerstein 58/855 [4 1Nov. 25, 1975 Primary ExaminerGeorge H. Miller, Jr. Attorney, Agent, orFirmDonald D. Jeffery [57] ABSTRACT A means for adjusting the timeindicated by a clock by moving an actuator to engage the minute hand andturn it. The invention relates to clocks having a second hand whichmight be damaged by movement of the actuator and accordingly theactuator has a bevelled edge leading to a radial ridge for deflectingthe second hand and also the actuator is positioned very close to thesecond hand post.

3 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure US. Patent Nov. 25, 1975 TIME-PIECE WITHTIME-SETTING ADJUSTMENT The invention relates to a watch or a clock"herein called a time-piece for example for mounting in an automobile,having a second hand on a port within a hollow time-setting housing,whichwill usually be the minute hand shaft, and having an actuatorextending through the face of the dial and capable of axial movement toengage the housing and rotational movement to set the time indicated.

A known time-piece has a second hand fixed to a barrel which is itselffastened to the second hand spindle. The regulating spindle of the timesetting device, passes through the face of the dial and has a connectingmeans provided with depending two feet positioned lower than the spindlewhich pass over the second hand and engage in a corresponding part ofthe housing. The main disadvantage of such a device lies in the factthat if, when the regulating spindle is displaced downwards, one of theclips is to the right of the center-second hand and rests on it, thelatter can be bent in such a way that it catches the hour hand, thuscausing the watch to stop.

An object of the invention is to provide a mechanism for setting thetime indicated on the time-piece which is of simple construction andwhich is not likely to cause damage to the second hand as the actuatormoves to engage the housing or as it moves the housing after engagement.

According to the invention the inner end of the actuator comprises apair of diametrically spaced feet each arranged to engage one of a pairof notches in the housing, the inner end of each foot comprising abevelled edge.

Thus, as the feet are moved to engage the clutch, if they encounter thesecond hand, the bevelled sides will displace the second hand to avoidits being damaged.

The radial spacing of the feet in the present invention is very slightlygreater than the diameter of that part of the post supporting the secondhand, so that interference between one of the feet and the said hand canonly occur in immediate proximity to the point where the hand emergesfrom the post. Thus, provided that the second hand is made from a steelor threadlike spring and a sufficient length is held in the barrel, de-

formation of the said hand can hardly occur even if great pressure isexerted on the actuator.

The upper end of the post above the second hand can be bevelled so thatwhen the actuator is moved downwards the feet are prevented fromstriking the upper surface of the post.

The invention also has the advantage that it avoids interference orjamming between the feet and a part of the time-piece in the clearancebetween the housing and its bearing or by an eccentric positioning ofthe actuator bearing on the face of the dial.

A preferred embodiment provides for a central cavity to be made in theactuator to accommodate that part of the post which projects above thesecond hand. In this way, at the moment when the actuator movesdownwards, the clutch will be centred upon the housing.

There might be a danger of the post and the second hand spindle beingmoved by the downward displacement of the clutch against the inner wallof the housing in such a way that only one of the claws engages in thenotch provided in the latter, the other being placed alongside thecorresponding notch on the outer wall of 2 the said housing. thisdisadvantage can be avoided by reducing the diameter of the post in thearea where the feet act which makes it possible to reduce the radialspacing of the said feet by the same proportions in such a way that itis no longer possible for them to descend over the outer wall of thehousing.

The invention may be carried into practice in various ways, and oneembodiment will be described by way of example with reference to theaccompanying drawing whose single FIGURE is an elevation of a settingmechanism in partial section with parts cut away.

The watch, only the essential elements of which are shown, comprises acentral time-setting device 1, second hand 3 integral with a second handpost 16 and a minute hand 4 fixed on a hollow shaft 5 constituting atime-setting housing, and surrounding the post 16 and a second-handspindle 2.

The time-setting device 1 consists of an actuator spindle 6 rotatablymovable in a bearing in the face 7 of the dial and capable of beingaxially displaced downwards, the spindle having at its outer end aregulating knob 8 and at its inner end a clutch 9. Between the knob 8and the upper surface of the face 7, is a compression spring 10 whichtends to hold the clutch 9 in its disengaged position in a counter-borein the under surface of the face 7. The inner end of the clutch 9 hastwo feet 11 and 12 which are diametrically separated on either side ofthe post 16 when the clutch is engaged. Their inner ends are bevelled at13 and 14 to define a sharp radially extending ridge. When theregulating spindle 6 is displaced downwards the feet 1 1 and 12 engagein respective notches 15 in the shaft 5.

The second hand 3 is a fine steel finger 17 with its inner end fast inthe plastics post 16, the left-hand end in the FIGURE being flush withthe surface of the post.

The upper end 19 of the post 16 is bevelled, and the diameter of thatpart 18 which is within the area of action of the feet 11 and 12 is lessthan that of the rest of the post. When the regulating spindle 6 isdisplaced downwards this part 18 of the post fits easily into a cavity20 in the clutch 9, the diameter of which cavity, together with theradial spacing of the inner faces of the feet 11 and 12, isapproximately .2 millimeters greater than that of the upper part 18 ofthe post.

When the time shown is to be re-set, the knob is pushed to force theclutch 9 downwards to engage the notches 15. The bevel at the top of thepost 16 assists in directing the part 18 of the post into the cavity 20so that the feet pass on either side of the part 18. If a foot 11 or 12should foul the second hand 3 as it descends, the bevel 13 or 14 willdisplace the hand slightly so that it is not bent.

Adjustment of the time shown is by rotating the knob 8 to rotate theshaft 5 and the minute hand 4. During rotation the clutch will probablyencounter the second hand 3, but since engagement will be very close tothe post 16, there will be substantially no bending moment on the finger17 so that it will not be bent.

The facts that the part 18 of the post 16 is of reduced diameter and thefeet 11 and 12 are closely on either side of it, means that there issubstantially no possibility of one of the feet engaging outside theshaft 5 due to a slight misalignment.

Thus the adjustment mechanism is very simple and yet there is littlelikelihood of damage to the second hand.

I claim:

1. A time-piece comprising in combination a. a dial b. a wire-likesecond hand having one end thereof mounted in a post which is fixed to asecond hand shaft, the upper end of said post adjacent said dial beingbevelled,

c. a minute hand mounted on a sleeve, said sleeve and said second handshaft being coaxially mounted with respect to one another, with saidsleeve enveloping said shaft, said sleeve being formed with at least twodiametrically opposed notches in the end thereof adjacent said dial, and

d. a rotatable and axially moveable actuator shaft carrying a pair ofdiametrically spaced feet at the bottom thereof and arranged to engagesaid notches when said actuator shaft is axially moved shaft is providedwith a guidance recess for the upper end of the said post.

3. The combination of claim 1, wherein the upper end of said post is ofreduced diameter compared with the rest of the post.

1. A time-piece comprising in combination a. a dial b. a wire-likesecond hand having one end thereof mounted in a post which is fixed to asecond hand shaft, the upper end of said post adjacent said dial beingbevelled, c. a minute hand mounted on a sleeve, said sleeve and saidsecond hand shaft being coaxially mounted with respect to one another,with said sleeve enveloping said shaft, said sleeve being formEd with atleast two diametrically opposed notches in the end thereof adjacent saiddial, and d. a rotatable and axially moveable actuator shaft carrying apair of diametrically spaced feet at the bottom thereof and arranged toengage said notches when said actuator shaft is axially moved towardsaid dial, a radially extending sharp ridge being formed on the free endof each of said feet, said feet being spaced a distance slightly greaterthan the diameter of the said post, whereby said post forms a centeringmeans for said actuator shaft when said shaft is moved toward said dialfor adjusting said minute hand.
 2. The combination of claim 1, whereinsaid actuator shaft is provided with a guidance recess for the upper endof the said post.
 3. The combination of claim 1, wherein the upper endof said post is of reduced diameter compared with the rest of the post.